Health, or the thred of my Life to be broken off the next hour; My firm and ftrong conftitution made me neither Proud nor Prefumptuous, but the frequent interpofitions of the thoughts of my change kept me humble and watchful.

4. In reference to my Health, I always avoided these two Extreams. I. I never made it my Idol, I declined not the due employment of my Body in the Works of Charity or Neceffity, or my ordinary Calling, out of a vain fear of injuring my Health; for I reckoned my Health given me in order to these employments; and as he is over-curious that will not put on his Cloaths for fear of wearing them out, or ufe his Ax in his proper employment, for fear of hurting it; fo he gives but an ill account of a healthy Body, that dares not employ it in an employment proper for him, for fear of hurting his Health. 2. I never was vainly prodigal of it, but careful in a due manner to preferve it; I would decline places of Infection, if I had no neceffary Calling that brought me to them; unneceffary Journeys, expofing my Body gratis to unnecellary dangers, especially Intemperance in Eating and Drinking..

5. I efteemed Strength, and Beauty, and Comeliness of Body thy Bleffing, an Invitation to Thankfulness; I efteemed it to carry with it a fecret. Admonition to bear a proportionable Mind and Life, to a comely or beautiful Body; and I look'd upon a beautiful Countenance, as a juft reprehenfion of a deformed or ugly Life or Difpofition; but I never found in it matter of Pride or Vain-Glory. 1. Because it is thy Gift, and not my own Acquifition. 2. Because a small matter quite fpoils it; a Eall, or a Difeafe, fpoils the greatest Strength; a. Humour in the Face, a Rheum in the Eye, a Palfie, or the Small-Pox, ruin the greatest Beauty; or if none of thefe happen, yet either old Age, or Death turns all in. to Weakness, Deformity or Rottennefs. I learn therefore in the enjoyments of thefe Bleffings to enjoy them

with Humility and Thankfulness; in the lofs of them, to lose them with Patience and Contentedness; for I acknowledge thy Hand both in the Gift and in the Lofs. I looked upon them as Flowers of the Spring, pleafing to the Eye, but of fhort continuance; the cafualty of an unruly Wind and unfeasonable Froft, a Worm or Fly might intercept their natural courfe of continuance; but they that escaped beft, an Autumn or Winter, will infallibly over-take and deftroy them.

15. Concerning my Wealth and temporal Subfiftence.

1. I efteemed these acquifitions rather the effects of thy Providence and Bleffing, than of my power or induftry; for if inftrumentally my industry acquired them, yet that very induftry is thy gilt; it is thou that givest me power to get Wealth. Again, 2. Though my indu ftry and dexterity to get Wealth, were never fo great, yet a fmall interpofition, either of thy Providence or Per miffion might foon disappoint and fruftrate all that dexterity or industry; a Thief, or a Storm, or a Fire, or a Leak, or the difcompofure of the Times, or a prodigal Wife or Son, or unfaithful Servant, or a long Sickness, or a Misfortune in others whom I truft, or a flaw in a Title, or a Word mif-interpreted, or a thousand other emergencies may in a little space ruin the product of many years labour and care. When I have looked upon a Spider, framing his Web with a great deal of curiofity and care, and after his induftry of many days, the Maid with the Broom, at one bruth, fpoils all; or when I have feen a Republick of Pifmires with great circume spection choosing the feat of their Refidence, and every one carrying his Egg and Provisions to their common Store houfe, and the Boy with a Stick ftirring it all ábroad, or a Hen or Partridge scattering it all afunder, fo that in a little moment, all the labour of thofe poor innocent Creatures is difappointed; it hath often put nie in mind, how easily and fuddenly the collection of many years may be diffipated; and the Experience of thefe

latter

latter times, gives fad and plentiful inftances of it. 1. But if none of all thefe vifible emergencies happen, yet it is most plain, that without thy fecret Bleffing upon honeft and commendable induftry, it proves, unfuc ful to that end. I have known in my own obfervations oftentimes two Men equally Induftrious Sober, Watchful of opportunities, Sparing, yet one gets up in the World, the other goes backwards; and neither they, nor I could poffibly attribute it to any other cause but this, Thou didst blefs the labour of the one, and blow upon the labour of the other. And upon all these confiderations, I learned in the midft of all my affluence, not to facrifice to my own Net, nor to say in my Heart, My might, and the power of my Hands have gotten me this wealth; but I did remember the Lord my God, for it is he that gave me power to get Wealth, Deut. 8. 17.

2. I did not measure thy favour to me, or the goodnefs or fafety of my own condition by my Wealth and Plenty; for I found that thofe Externals were either indifferently difpenfed to the Good and Bad, or if there were any odds, the advantage of Externals feemed to be to thofe, whofe portion we might probably conjecture was only in this Life. My Wealth and Plenty therefore rather made me the more jealous of my condition than fecure in it: It made me fearch and examine my condition the more ftrictly and carefully, and when upon the refult, I found my Sincerity and Uprightness of Heart, though I with all thankfulness acknowledge thy goodness in giving me Externals, yet I often begg'd of thee that my, portion might not be in this life only; that as thou gaveft me Wealth, fo thou wouldft give and increase thy Grace in my Heart; that though I could with the continuance of any external advantages, as an opportunity to do the more good, yet if it were inconfiftent with my everlasting intereft, my great expectation in the life to come, I fhould chufe to be without the former, rather than lofe the latter; and I made it my choice rather to

be

be poor here, and rich in the life to come, than to be rich here, and loft in the life to come.

3. And upon the fame confideration, I judged my felf never the better Man, nor the better Chriftian, for having much of thefe Worldly advantages. I looked upon them as external and adventitious advantages, that had no ingredience at all into my Soul, unless poffibly for the worse. I found a Man might be Rich or Honourable, in refpect of his birth or place, and yet a Fool, a Glutton, Luxurious, Vain, Imperious, Covetous, Proud, and in all probability the more obnoxious to these Distempers by his Wealth or Greatness: on the other fide a Man might be Poor and Wife and Learned, Sober, Humble, and poffibly his poverty might in reference to these Vertuous Habits be an advantage. My Riches and Honour therefore never made me fet one grain of value the more upon my self, than if I had been without them. I efteemed it as an Inftrument, that being put into a Wife, Prudent, Faithful, and Liberal hand, might be of ufe; but gave no more value to that inherent worth of the Man, than the Ax or the Saw gives Skill to the Carpenter.

4. I efteemed all the Wealth and Honour that I had, but intrufted to me by the Great Mafter of the World; a Talent which thou committed'ft to me as thy Steward, and upon account; and this confideration caufed me to judge and efteem of my Wealth, and dispense the fame quite in another way, than is ordinarily done.

1. I did not esteem my felf the Richer at all for my multitude of Riches; I efteemed no more given me than what was in a reasonable manner proportionable to my Neceffities, to my Charge and Dependance, and to the Station I had in the world; all the reft I looked upon as none of mine, but my Mafters; it was rather my burthen than my poffeffion, the more I had, the more was my Care, and the greater the Charge that I

had

had under my Hands, and the more was my Solicitude to be a Faithful Steward of it, to the Honour and Use of my Mafter; but my part was the leaft that was in it: Indeed I rejoyced in this, that my Mafter efteemed me Wife and Faithful, committing the Difpenfation thereof to my Truft; but I thought it no more mine, than the Lord's Baily, or the Merchant's Cafh-keeper thinks his Master's Rents or Money his.

my

2. And therefore thought it would be a breach of Truft to confume or imbezil that Wealth in Exceffive Superfluities of Meat, Drink, or Apparel, or in advanceing my felf, or my pofterity to a maffie or huge Acqueft.

3. But I employed that over-plus in fupport of the Ministry, in Relief of the Poor, in Redemption of Captives, in placing Children to School and Apprentice, in fetting the Poor on work; and with fubmiffion to thy Wisdom, I thought that this latter was an equal, if not a greater Charity than the incouragement of idle or diffolute Perfons by liberal fupplies: because it kept them in their way that Wisdom and Providence hath designed for the Children of Men.

4. And in thofe Imployments of Men in their Labours I ftill held this courfe: 1. To allow them competent Wages. 2. That the greatest expence fhould be rather in the Labour than in the Materials. 3. That the nature of the Work fhould be fuch as might bring me in a return of profit, rather than of Curiofity: Because the Proceed might be a Stock for farther Charity or Publick advantage. But rather than the Poor fhould want imployment and fubfiftence, I thought it allowable to imploy them in fuch Labours as might yield them a Lawful Profit, though it yielded me only a Lawful Contentment; as in building, Planting, and the like Honeft, though not altogether profitable imployments; in all which my principal Design was the fupport of others,

and